The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb takes place March 2 in the 76-story Bank of America Tower in Seattle - the climb covers 69 stories - but firefighters are making do with Aber Hall's 10 flights of stairs.
In Missoula, after all, that's as high as it gets.
The city firefighters are competing for the fourth time - the rural firefighters took part for the first time in 2005 - and are hoping to best an outstanding finish last year.
“We were fifth overall in the race and 10th in fundraising,” Brunell said.
Fifth is great, of course, especially when you factor in a field of 128 teams, but it's the fundraising that's more important. The money goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The race generally raises more than $200,000, and Missoula city firefighters raised $4,000-plus last year.
“That money goes to the Seattle group and it gets spent in the Northwest, so it's a good thing for us to contribute to,” said Brunell.
The firefighters raise money by soliciting from businesses, holding a 50-50 raffle and sponsoring a night at Sean Kelly's.
“We're going to be doing all those again, although we don't have our dates set,” Brunell said.
Raising money for a good cause is great, but there's also the spirit and pride of competition. And with that in mind, the firefighters have been humping it up the stairs of the dormitory every other day since mid-December.
It's not as simple as just running up 69 flights of stairs, either. A firefighter has to wear his regular gear, plus carry and breathe through his self-contained breathing apparatus.
“It all comes out to about 60 pounds counting your clothes,” Brunell said.
While the firefighters get a break when they're training in Aber Hall, the only break during the March race comes at the 40th floor, where firefighters stop to change their oxygen tanks.
“That's nice, but you realize you're just over halfway,” Brunell said. “It's one tall building.”
In fact, it's 973 feet tall. The climb itself is about 790 feet, with more than 1,300 steps.
A couple of years ago, the winner covered the distance in just over 11 minutes, taking two steps at a time.
It's a long way up, but it's for a worthy cause, said Missoula Fire Chief Tom Steenberg.
“We really appreciate the support they get from the community,” Steenberg said. “I think the guys work very hard at this, and we're hoping they do well.”
For information on contributions to the Missoula firefighters' fundraising efforts, contact Ron Brunell at rbrunell@ci.missoula.mt.us. To donate directly, send a check to Local 271 Stairclimb Team, 625 E. Pine St., Missoula, MT 59802.
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com.
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